The Abuse: The Reggie Story, by Mara

Disclaimer: I am in no way connected to Rocket Power, and I don’t write for them. Rather, I do this for fun.

Story plot: Reggie is seventeen, and she has just started to date Trent. At first things seem good, but after a while it all goes downhill. Trent becomes abusive and drinks a lot. The only one of Reggie's friends that seems to notice is Twister. Because of this, Reggie and Twister become closer. What will this mean for Reggie and Trent? Will she stay with him, or will her blossoming relationship with Twister come first? And will Otto finally put the pieces together as he notices Reggie coming home with bruises? Also, what about Sam? Will he notice when he gets back from Kansas?

Reggie stepped out of the doorway of her house. She sat down and put on her blades and helmet. She was meeting Trent at the Shore Shack for lunch and then they were going back to his place for a little while. Lately, Trent seemed to have changed. Up to lately he had been almost a gentleman. Then, all of a sudden, he became possessive, like as if she belonged to only him. He didn't allow her to hang out with the guys much, only Otto was allowed near her as he was her brother.

She got to the Shore Shack, and as she entered, she saw him waiting. He didn't look happy.

Trent: I have been waiting forever for you to get here, and...

Reggie: Sorry, I had a few things...

Trent: Things?

Reggie: ...I had something to do with my brother and Twister...

Trent: Haven't I told you to stay away from Twister, as well as Sam? I can take you being with Otto as he is family, but the other two...

Reggie: I have a right to hang with my friends!

Trent: Oh, well. Let's just eat. I am starving! Plus I want to get back to my place...

Reggie: Okay, we eat, and then we go to your place to talk.

After they ate, they got their blades on and headed to Trent's place. Outside the door, they take off their blades and put their shoes on. Reggie waved to Trent's mom as they went to his room. In his room there were posters on the wall from New Zealand since that is where he was from.

They sat down on the bed, and talked for a while. Then, slowly they kissed. At first it seemed innocent, since they had done this before. But something seemed different this time. He pulled her to himself rather harshly, and he was going too far. She suddenly pushed him away, slapping him on the face.

Reggie: You know we're too young for this! What were you thinking?!!?? My father would kill me! So would Otto!

Trent: Come on baby, I know you love me... Reggie: Not like this I don't....

Suddenly he made a grab for Reggie's arm and held it tight.

Reggie: Trent, you're hurting me!

He then pushed her back on the bed. He started to put his fingers in her hair. She struggled to get away, but he had a firm grip. Luckily she caught him off guard and darted out from under him. He through a chair at her as she went for the door. The door closed in front of her before she could get to it. Slowly she turned the door handle, opened the door, and ran from the room. Reggie then got to the front door and opened it. She put on her blades and headed for home.

The first person she saw was Twister. He was alone, taking shots at an empty net. He looked up to see her approach. He also noticed the bruises on her arms and face.

Twist: What happened to you, Reg? I have never seen you like this before!

Reggie: It all happened to me at Trent's...

She told him the whole story of how Trent became abusive and how she got away in time. He listened, slowly his smile turned into a frown. He could see she was about to cry. Slowly, he skated over to her and hugged her. He thought it might help to ease her problems and the pain of what just happened. She put her head on his shoulder, and softly cried for a while. For Reggie it felt good to do such. She didn’t know, however, if Twister felt the same. He was the one that hugged her first...

Later, Reggie was in her room reading a book when she heard a knock at her door. It was Otto.

Otto: How are things going with Trent? Reggie: I don't know, okay I guess...

Otto noticed the bruises on her arms and face.

Maybe she fell, he thought. He didn't want to disturb her more, so he left.

Later that night, Twister called.

Twist: Have you told your family about what happened this afternoon? Reggie: No. I don't think I'll bother. It was just a one-time thing. I don't think it will happen again, so I don't want them to worry. Plus, I am meeting with Trent and some of his other friends in an hour. I thought maybe if I talk to him then we could fix things up. Twist: Be careful. I don't really trust him after what happened earlier. I hope that all goes well tonight though.

They talked for a little while longer and then hung up.

I hope he is wrong and that Trent only did that for one time, Reggie thought as she hung up the phone.

As Twister clicked the off button on his phone, something occurred to him.

"What if this isn't the end of it?", he said to himself.

Later that night, Reggie skated to where Trent said to meet him and his friends. When she got there, she noticed they had a couple of twelve packs of beer with them.

Reggie: Where did you guys get the beer? You are all under age!

Trent (drunkenly): We took them...want one?

Reggie: No, I don't drink. And you shouldn't either!

Trent: Come on, nobody's gonna find out! Just one, you know you want it!

Reggie decided that she had had enough. But as she was about to leave, Trent through a beer can at her. It hit her in the eye!

Reggie: Hey, why did you do that?

Trent: I wanted to get your attention. Don't leave, or I might have to hurt you.

As he said that he approached her, grabbing her arms tightly as he got close enough. He started to twirl her around, and then he let go. As he did, she went rolling towards the beer cases, and then she tripped on them. As if in slow motion she fell to the ground. She was out for a second, then realized she was on the pavement. She went to get up, but Trent pushed her back down. Slowly she crawled away, sat on the ground, and took off her blades. She then got up, grabbed her blades, and ran for home, crying as she did. As she ran she heard the distant laughter of Trent's friends. It became more distant the farther she got. It seemed like forever before she got home, but as she did she saw Twister in his bedroom window. He looked out in time to see Reggie collapse on the pavement in front of her house.

Twist: Reggie!!

Twister ran through his house, out the front door, and to Reggie's side. He knelt down beside he to see if she was okay. Reggie was breathing hard, but was unconscious. He waited for her to wake up, holding her in his arms until she did. When she awoke, she looked up to see him looking down into her face. She noticed that she could see real concern in his troubled gaze. Slowly she got up. As she did she felt weak. It was like as if all of her energy had been zapped out of her. When she got up, she felt like she would collapse again. This time Twister caught her. He decided that maybe he should take her to his place for a while until she had strengthened up a bit. Plus he didn't think that she wanted Otto to see her this way. If only Sam wasn't gone to visit his dad in Kansas at that moment. Sam would be home in a few days luckily though. As Mrs. Rodriguez saw Twister bring Reggie in, she insisted he put her on the couch.

Mrs. Rodriguez: What happened to Reggie? Maurice, she looks horrible!

Twist: I have a feeling it has something to do with Trent. I haven't talked to her about it yet.

Reggie: (low moan) I will be okay, really. Could I stay here for the night? I don't think I could go home right now.

Mrs. Rodriguez: Yes you may stay, but first you must call home, dear, you look affright!

Twister's mom then gave Reggie the phone. Reggie dialed the number for home. It rang three times, and then Otto answered the phone.

Otto: Hello?

Reggie: Hi, Otto, it's me.

Otto: Reggie? Where are you? Raymundo is freaking! You were supposed to be home a while ago!

Reggie: I am at Twister's place. I am spending the night, okay? I feel kind of sick and I can't quite walk home.

Otto: Okay...but I must warn you, Dad's been looking for you. I will tell him where you are. Have a good night, and say hi to Twister for me!

Reggie: Got it, Rocket Boy! See you tomorrow!

Reggie then hung up, and turned to face Twister. She then started to cry. Twister got closer to her and put his arm on her shoulder. He knew whatever happened was distressful. He asked her about it, and everything spilled out. When she finished she collapsed into his arms crying uncontrollably. She never thought she'd stop until she looked up into his face. She then again saw real concern in his eyes. At that moment she knew he really cared for her. Slowly, she raised her face to his and surprised him by kissing him. The thing that surprised her was that he didn't resist. It was like as if he felt the same way. She wrapped her arms around him as he pulled her closer. They remained in each other's arms until Lars entered the room. He had a look on his face like he knew this was going to happen. He just smiled an evil grin and left the room.

That night she slept on the couch since she didn't want to sleep with Twister. She knew he was not at all like Trent. As she slept, she had dreams about the day before. She tossed and turned. She just couldn't get rid of the images of the events from just that afternoon and the ones from the evening before. Her arms and eye stung. The crying from the night before had made it swollen, and it made it harder for her to sleep. She awoke suddenly, and after that she didn't sleep. The clock on the wall said 3:00 AM. Reggie tried to sleep again, but instead just tossed and turned under the blankets Mrs. Rodriguez had found for her.

In the morning, she, with the help of Twister, walked back home. Otto was awaiting the two. He was surprised to see how Reggie looked.

Otto: Man, did you do that to her?!? If you did, I will seriously hurt you!

Twist: I didn't do it man! I would never hurt Reggie!

Otto: What happened then? That is definitely not from falling.

Reggie: Trent did this.

Otto: Does Dad know??

Reggie: No, I have only told you and Twist about it. I....

She then lost her footing, and Twister caught her. She cried for a little while as she retold the story of yesterday to Otto. She saw a dangerous, distant look in his eyes, something she had never seen in them before.

Otto: Who'da thought Trent would be like this? We have to do something.

Reggie: Please, don't get mad at Trent just yet! Hurting him will only make things worse!

Twist: We should at least wait till the Squid gets back. He'll be back the day after next. He'll know what to do.

Otto: At least tell Raymundo. He can get the freak in trouble...I mean Trent...

As Otto said that, Ray stepped out the door.

Ray: Hey Reg, ready for some flapjacks...what happened to you?? Twister, have you done something to her? If you have...

Twist: Wasn't me, I swear!

Reggie: (weakly) Trent did this. You see...

She then retold yesterday's events, holding back the tears as she did. Her eye still hurt, so the tears made it worse. After she was done, she fainted. She was too tired from not get enough sleep, plus she still felt sick from the day before. Twister caught her, picked her up, and they all headed to her room. Twister put her on her bed slowly and with care. He hated to see her like this. Nobody deserves this, especially Reggie, he thought to himself.

A couple of days later Sammy was back. The first thing he did was go to the Rocket home. He was in a good mood till he saw Reggie. She still had a black eye and bruises from a couple days ago. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he didn't ponder for long. Reggie told him outright that Trent had done this. She then told him how it all happened. Sam got that same distant look in his eyes that Otto had when she had told Otto about it.

Sam: I would recommend not seeing him anymore. Have you talked to him since then?

Reggie: No, Dad won't let him. He has been staying away. I never thought I would see him do such a thing to anyone, especially me. I thought he cared, but I guess I was wrong.

Suddenly, the phone rang. At the second ring Reggie picked it up. It was Trent.

Trent: I am so sorry about the other night baby....I had too much to drink...

Reggie: YOU shouldn't have been drinking to begin with! You're under age for one, and drinking also bad in itself! I..

Trent: I need to see you again. It's been so long...

Reggie: After what happened, I don't know if I ever want to see you again...

Trent: I will make it up to you, I promise.

Reggie: Too late. Twister and me have become closer because of this, and I don't want to jeopardize that...

Trent: I TOLD YOU NOT TO SEE HIM!!!!

Reggie: I don't care. I am not seeing you again, so why does that matter? Even if I wanted to, my Dad wouldn't let me see you again, neither would Otto for that matter. GOOD BYE!!

With that she turned off the phone as Trent was about to say something. She would have thrown the phone in rage, but she was still kind of weak from what happened that night with Trent.

Later that day she and the guys got together for roller hockey. Their team played against Lars, and, like always, they were winning. Otto made a shot and he got it in! That ended the final round of the game. The four of them held their sticks up like they always did when they won. Reggie decided to go off alone for a while. She waved to the guys and skated off. Halfway between the hockey rink and home, she saw Trent pull up in his car. What she didn't know was that the guys had followed Reggie to keep an eye on her. Out of sight they also saw him pull over. They also saw that he got out of the car, wobbled over to where Reggie was standing, and pushed her into the car. She tried to scream but he covered her mouth. As he got in he pushed her into the passenger side of the car. She looked in Trent's eyes and could see he was drunk. She also a glimmer of a dangerous glint in them. Her eyes widened, and she turned to open the door, but he locked it. She screamed again, but the car's interior muffled it.

Her friends, seeing this, raced over to the car, but Trent then took off. They were lucky enough to catch sight of the license plate numbers. Otto told the other two to run home and tell Raymundo what was happening, and to call the police.

Back in the car, Reggie kept screaming. She then noticed her friends dart off toward her home. Oh how she wished she had stayed with them!

As Twister and Sam rushed toward the Rocket household, they talked.

Twister: I really hope we can save her! I can't lose her now!

Sam: I hope Otto can catch up to them. By the way, what happened while I was gone?

Twister: (slightly blushing) Well, uhh...

Sam: You love her, don't you?

Twister: Yes, I have since we were younger. She always defended me when Otto had some bad ideas. Plus, I know she loves me too. We kissed the night all this started...

Sam: Kissed? Really? Who kissed who? I knew something like this would happen eventually!

Twister: Actually, she did. I was happy that she did it first though. It confirmed a lot!

Sam: Does Otto know?

Twister: To be truthful, I don't know. With all that is happening I didn't have a chance to tell him...

Sam: We're here.

With that said they stopped right in front of the Rocket household. They took off their blades, ran to the door, and pounded on it. Would Raymundo answer?

Luckily, he was home, and Tito was there.

Tito: You little bruddahs look tired, what's the problem? Where are Otto and Reggie?

Twister: Reggie has been 'napped by Trent! We have to call the police!

Ray: Do you know how? If by car, what is the license plate number?

Sam: He took her by car, sir, and we did indeed get the number. Here, I wrote it down.

Sam pulled out a piece of paper with numbers and letters on it. He handed it to Ray and Tito. Ray took it and looked at the numbers and letters. He then ran into the house and called Officer Shirley. He told her to look for a car with the license plate numbers he gave her.

Shirley: We're on it big Ray. We'll let you know if we find them.

Ray: Thanks. I will be close to the phone, just in case.

With that said he hung up. He then turned to the boys.

Ray: Where is Otto by chance?

Sam: He is chasing after the car. He wanted to be able to track them.

At that moment, Trent was speeding down the highway while Otto tried to keep up. It was hard to keep up, but Otto was lucky Trent was only going forty miles per hour. It was still fast though for him to keep up. All of a sudden Trent's car took a deep turn to the right onto a small road. Otto followed. The car swerved a few times then sped up. All of a sudden, the passenger side window opened, and Otto could hear Reggie scream. Then it was silenced as the car hit a pole at forty-five miles per hour!

Otto screamed.

Otto: Reggie!!!!

Suddenly, he could feel hot tears running down his face. Could this have really happened? He didn’t want to lose Reggie since they had already lost their mother. Reggie was one of the only female figures he had in his life at that moment, and he didn’t want to lose that.

He skated fast to the wreckage, hoping to find signs of life. When he got there he saw Reggie slumped over the airbag. She was unconscious and bleeding, and her breathing was irregular, but she was alive. The same could not be said for Trent, however. He was motionless and not breathing. Otto checked to see if there was a heartbeat, but hardly could detect one. There was a beat, but it was faint. Otto hurried to the closest house, knocked on the door, and asked the lady at home to call the police, and to get an ambulance there immediately.

A few moments later, Otto heard the sirens coming towards him. He noticed that his father's car followed the ambulance and police cars. The car stopped, and Sam, Twister, Ray and Tito got out. They ran to Otto, who was silently crying to himself.

Ray: Otto, what happened?

Otto: (gulp) I ch-ch-chased them to here. I didn't kn-kn-know he would hit the pole!

Tito: How are they? Otto: It do-doesn't look like Tr-ent will live. Reggie might p-p-pull through though.

Twister: I am hoping Reggie pulls through! I have to tell her something. I can't lose her now!

Otto: Wh-what are you talking about?

At that moment Ray hugged Otto. He knew this would be tough on Otto, but for some reason he noticed that Twister was also having a hard time. What could it be that caused him to be that way? Was it something about what he had to tell Reggie?

Then something dawned on Ray.

Ray: Twister, does what you have to say to Reggie include that you care deeply for her? If so, I would approve of you two being together. I have known you for a long time, and I know you wouldn't hurt her. Unlike Trent...well, I don't think I will have to deal with him anymore.

Sam: Why is that, sir?

Ray: I over heard them say that they have pronounced him dead. They have contacted his folks. This is going to be a rough day for them too. Let’s get to the hospital.

Right after he said that, they rushed to the car and took off after the ambulance with Reggie in it.

They waited outside her hospital room, with Ray and Otto being the only ones allowed in the room for the moment.

Reggie's other friends, Trish and Sherry, waited outside the room with Twister, Sam, and Tito. They had heard from others about the accident and wanted to be with her in her time of need.

Reggie was in a coma for days, with her family and friends with her the whole time. The expressions on their faces were grim. How long she would be in the coma not even the doctor knew. The doctor finally allowed friends in two days after admission to the hospital. With permission from his parents, Twister stayed night and day with Reggie. He stayed in a chair next to her hospital bed day in and day out. He even fell asleep in that chair. Ray thought it was sweet that Twister cared so much. Otto thought it was weird however. He didn’t think it was wrong exactly it just seemed strange. On day they are a group of four friends and then the next Reggie and Twist were together, leaving Sam and him out in the cold. At least the whole Trent thing was over. Although seeing Twister and Reggie together was hard, seeing her be tormented by Trent had been harder. He was glad that now she would be safe, with Twister to be there for her.

A few weeks after the accident, things seemed to be improving. Reggie was off the respirator and showed signs of improvement. On a sunny day, things got a lot better. Reggie started to stir. Twister noticed, and woke Otto and Ray up.

Otto: Hey! I was having a good dream about...

Twister: Your sister, she stirred. I think she might wake up soon.

Ray: Thanks for letting us know. Otto, I don’t think that that dream is this important.

As they got closer to the bed to watch Reggie for more signs that she would wake up, she slowly opened her eyes.

First thing Reggie did as she opened her eyes was to look around.

Reggie: (weakly) Where am I?

Twist: You are at the hospital. After the crash... well, you have been in a coma for weeks. We weren’t sure you would recover. Trent didn’t. How do you feel?

Reggie: (still weak) I feel faint, and groggy. How is Trent’s family taking it?

Otto: They took it hard, but they were more concerned about you. In fact, Trent’s brother was most concerned. He came all the way from New Zealand when he heard. He would like to see you if that is okay. He’s here now so if you do want to see him, just say the word.

Reggie: (weakly) Show him in...

Otto went into the hallway and came back with a young man. He struck a haunting resemblance to Trent, but just a little older looking. He stepped into the room, cleared his throat, and spoke.

Trent’s Brother: Hi, my name is Travis, and I am Trent’s older brother. I am twenty, and I usually live in New Zealand. My family moved here when Trent was twelve. When I turned eighteen, I moved back to my homeland of New Zealand as I missed it very much. Trent did too, and he was going to move in with me when he turned eighteen. I guess he missed it too much and started causing trouble. He drank too much, and got abusive with everyone. I am so sorry you happened to get caught up in this. I hope that this whole thing has not scarred you, and that your recovery is painless and short. I must go now; I have to comfort my family. Thank you for seeing me, I hope you recover, and that your life gets back to normal. Bye!

With a wave Travis leaves the room. Everything seemed to have lightened up in the room. The sun shone through the curtains, as if things were to get better from then on.

Reggie found out she had a broken leg and a few broken ribs.

When everyone had heard of the crash, they came to check in on Reggie. She told them she would be back in time for the start of school.

After a few months in recovery, she finally got to go home. The following day Twister asked her to the Homecoming dance, and she said yes. She chose out a beautiful satin like dress in royal blue. Surprisingly it went well with the color of her hair.

When they got to the dance people were dancing in the gym where the dance was. A slow dance song was playing now, so Reggie put her head on Twister’s shoulder.

Reggie: Thank you for being there for me through the whole “Trent” thing. I don’t know if I could have made it without you and Otto.

Twister: The hardest thing for me was to see you in such pain, plus, I couldn’t leave you. I think I love you.

When he said that, Reggie took her head off his shoulder and looked into his eyes. She could tell he meant it. Slowly she kissed him, catching him off guard. His eyes widened at first but after a while he kissed her back. He now knew that she loved him too and that they just might be together for life.

As Twister and Reggie kissed, Otto and Sam watched. Sammy thought it was rather sweet, where as Otto thought it was a little weird. It’s not every day that your friend goes out with your sister. Otto was pulled onto the dance floor by his date Monica, and they danced for a while. Sammy and Sherry had come together. They grew close every time they saw each other in the hospital while visiting Reggie. Twister was taping in the halls with his camera when he had caught the two making out in a closet at the hospital. Since then they had become almost inseparable.

From then on things went well for the group. With Trent now gone Reggie was safe, and Twister made sure of that. Prom night approached fast, and of course Twister and Reggie went together. Reggie wore a long, flowing gown in a shade of sky blue. Twister wore a suit in the same color. Twister and Reggie were voted Prom King and Queen. After prom they stayed together, eventually getting married at the age of twenty-one and twenty. Things went well, and that is the end of that. As for Sammy and Sherry, they eloped after high school in Las Vegas. They even took pictures of the priest dressed as Elvis.

Otto found a girl after high school and dated her for a couple of years. No more in known about that however.